We are delighted to welcome the award winning design critic and writer Alice Rawsthorn to give our annual Gardner-Medwin Lecture for 2018.
‘Craft and Design: Friends or Foes?’
Alice Rawsthorn discusses the changing relationship of craft and design, where it stands now and how it is likely to evolve in the future. She will also explore the current resurgence of interest in craft among designers, artists, makers and the public.
Alice Rawsthorn is the author of the critically acclaimed books, Hello World: Where Design Meets Life and Design as an Attitude. Her weekly design column for The New York Times was syndicated worldwide for over a decade. Alice speaks on design at important global events including TED and the World Economic Forum in Davos. Born in Manchester and based in London, Alice is chair of the boards of trustees at Chisenhale Gallery in London, the contemporary dance group Michael Clark Company and The Hepworth Wakefield in Yorkshire. A founding member of the Writers for Liberty campaign to champion human rights and freedoms, Alice has been awarded an OBE for services to design and the arts.
As part of Bluecoat Display Centre’s ongoing programme of exciting artist’s talks, the next event will feature textile artist Michael Brennand-Wood. Michael will speak about his artistic career.
Michael works in particular with embroidery, pattern, lace and floral imagery in the form of wall pieces and also brooch accessories. His works are colourful, dramatic, rhythmic and possess intense detail. He explores and develops techniques, inventing many new and imaginative ways of integrating textiles with other media. His recent work, inspired by traditions of floral imagery has incorporated computerised machine embroidery, acrylic paint, wood, glass and collage.
A traditional afternoon tea in the grand setting of The Athenaeum will follow the talk.
This event is open to current and new subscribing Friends of Bluecoat Display Centre and Members of The Athenaeum. Attendees must be over the age of 14.
Join us to explore creative ventures South of our City. We will visit Granby Workshops, Sefton Park Palm House and Cains Brewery Village at the Baltic Quarter.
Meet outside Display Centre College Lane entrance at 9.45am from where we will travel by minibus to our venues. Return to City Centre on foot from the Brewery Village at your leisure (20 minute walk) from about 1.30pm onwards.
The Venues
Granby Workshop is a unique and innovative manufacturer of architectural and homeware ceramics, based in Granby 4 Streets Housing project, Toxteth and founded by Turner Prize winning design collective Assemble .
We will be given a tour and talk about their innovative work.
Sefton Park Palm House has been managed by a Preservation Trust since its renovation. The Director will give a talk about its history and current programme of events.
Refreshment drinks provided.
The creative new developments round Cains Brewery Village in the Baltic Quarter include eateries, market stalls and artists’ studios.
A table will be reserved at Ryde, the bike café for those who would like lunch before and after a wander through the market stalls and a chance to meet artists’ in their studios.
Bluecoat Display Centre are hosting a Meet the Maker event with local jeweller Deelyn Walsh for LightNight 2018. It will be a great opportunity to meet and chat to Deelyn about her work and try some pieces on.
Deelyn has a spotlight cabinet display of her work at the Bdc that coincides with our European jewellery exhibition, ‘European Connections’. On display will be the work of ten European jewellers, including Paul Derrez – renowned jeweller and owner of the famous Galerie Ra in Amsterdam. In Liverpool’s 10 year anniversary as a Capital of Culture, this exhibition strives to celebrate and strengthen our ties with Europe in these uncertain times.
Paul Derrez is a jeweller and the owner of the internationally renowned Galerie Ra in Amsterdam, besides running the gallery he has created an oeuvre in jewellery design, which over the past decade also includes silver work. His Wisselring from 1975 has become a classic. Derrez often links his designs to particular social statements like his Pill-roulette brooches and Condom Monstrance. Self-taught in the art of silversmithing, he remains close to its basic techniques and the function of a design. His fine silver beakers, bowls and boxes are given a touch of colour by the addition of plastic lids or handles.
Paul will be talking about his own work in the context of contemporary European jewellery and his vast experience of contemporary jewellery through the eyes of a gallery owner.
As part of Bluecoat Display Centre’s ongoing programme of exciting artist’s talks, the next event will feature local printmaker Lynda Roberts. Lynda will speak about her artistic career.
Lynda makes multi media colleges as a personal visual record of places she has visited both here and abroad. In her recordings of our built environment, colour and texture are important elements providing layers to be visually explored by the viewer. Textile focal points are partially integrated to elaborate statements made in paint.
A traditional afternoon tea in the grand setting of The Athenaeum will follow the talk.
This event is open to current and new subscribing Friends of Bluecoat Display Centre and Members of The Athenaeum. Attendees must be over the age of 14.
Meeting outside the Bluecoat Display Centre on College Lane at 8.45am and the minibus will leave Liverpool promptly at 9am. Returning to Liverpool for 5pm, traffic permitting.
We will travel by minibus to the University of Central Lancashire (uclan) to visit printmaker and senior uclan technician, Tracy Hill, in the print workshop where we will hear about her work and the wider context of uclan printmaking which covers a range of processes including Intaglio, Lithography and Silkscreen.
Then we will go on to the Harris Museum & Art Gallery where we will have lunch on arrival around 1pm. Followed by an introduction to the Turner Prize Winner Lubaina Himid’s exhibition and time to explore the exhibition further.
Himid is Professor of Contemporary Art at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston, where she curates the ‘Making Histories Visible’ research project and Black Art archive. Behind these projects and her own work is a focus on belonging – that everybody matters.
Bluecoat Display Centre will deliver a unique free artist event delivered to coincide with the EU Day of Creativity on Wednesday 21 March with early career ceramicist Adam Buick, linked to our ‘Equinox’ exhibition curated by one of our supporting gallery staff, Megan Hartley-Roberts.
Adam Buick is a Pembrokeshire based ceramicist and conceptual artist who also works with photography and film. Before his training in ceramics, he studied archaeology and anthropology. Hence, his aim is to incorporate elements from the landscape into his works. Adam makes white porcelain moon jars: a Moon Jar is an ancient Korean form originally made from plain white porcelain. Adam was so inspired by this pure form that he now uses it as the composition for his work. He incorporates stone and locally dug clay into his work to create a narrative, one that conveys a unique sense of place.
“My work uses a single pure jar form as a canvas to map my observations from an ongoing study of my surroundings. Landscapes have inspired artists for generations but for me a landscape has to be felt. With my site-specific work I too am venerating the landscape.” – Adam Buick
Event Schedule
1.45pm Arrive for the event to the Bluecoat Performance Space
2pm Welcome and introductions by Samantha Rhodes, Director Bdc
2.15pm Adam will demonstrate various aspects of his throwing and coiling techniques.
During Adam’s demonstration Megan will encourage a conversation around the act of Adam’s making and questions would be invited from the audience.
3.30pm There will be the opportunity to watch some of the films Adam has made.
Adam’s film projects include ‘Earth to Earth’. In this piece a raw, unfired Jar, made from a blend of local clays was placed at the top of Carn Treliwyd to weather away. There are cycles within nature some quick, others slow and this artwork illustrates one cycle as a metaphor for all. Made from the earth, the wind and rain will return it back to the earth.
4.30pm Adam will return to the BDC for refreshments and to give the audience the opportunity to see and discuss informally his work in the Equinox exhibition.
Printmaker Gill Curry and textile artist Tabitha Moses will speak about their works featured in our current exhibition, ‘Journeys In Mind’.
They will speak about their influences, how they create their unique works and how this links to the exhibition theme.
This event is free however any donations are welcomed and will go towards our outreach work with wellbeing centre, The Life Rooms.
‘Journeys In Mind’ explores experiences of mental health and the mind from the perspective of designer-makers and how their personal journeys may shape the development of their works. This could be through events which they have personally encountered or through experiences of teaching, working or living with others effected.
As part of Bluecoat Display Centre’s ongoing programme of exciting artist’s talks, the next event will feature ceramicist Sian Hughes. Sian will speak about her artistic career and her involvement in our outreach work.
Her focus has recently been porcelain paper clay, using its strength and fragility to work directly with text, narratives and freehand painting. She has previously created sets of vessels such as tea spoons, cups and bowls displayed in groups. Her work is often very sculptural. Sian has also taught stroke patients at Broadgreen Hospital how to create works of art using paper clay. The patients thoroughly enjoyed discovering creativity and learning new skills.
A traditional afternoon tea in the grand setting of The Athenaeum will follow the talk.
This event is open to current and new subscribing Friends of Bluecoat Display Centre and Members of The Athenaeum. Attendees must be over the age of 14.